ALEX LITTLE AND THE SUSPICIOUS MINDS

“My best songs are written when I’m having the worst time,” says Alex Little with a wry laugh. “There’s no songs about feeling good. It’s about connecting to that deep dark part of myself, which is the reason why I make music.”

Little previously played in bands as a drummer, and when she picked up a guitar, she reached out to her friend Andy Bishop (White Ash Falls, Twin River) to teach her a few tricks. “She already knew the basic chords, so I just showed her a couple of new things,” remembers Andy. “The next time we jammed, she showed up with a great melody she had been working on.”

Songs began pouring out of them, and drummer Cody Hiles (The Zolas) and bassist Mike Rosen got involved. Together, they honed a sound that blends searing distortion with aching pop hooks and a psychedelic wash of reverb. “It’s got that late 1970s, early 1980s New York kind of vibe,” Andy reflects. “Just stripped-down rock and roll.”

These songs come from a place of darkness, but the lasting impression is one of four friends cranking their amps and moving past the pain through a shared love of music. “The world is crippling and hard,” Alex says frankly. “I feel very lucky that I have this band as an outlet for all the emotions and turmoil.”